In 2012, innovations in technology, a multitude of connected devices, and evolutions in the media distribution landscape have provided more ways than ever to consume media across different screens, whether at home, at work, or on-the-go.

To understand how consumers around the world are responding to this fragmented media environment, Nielsen surveyed online consumers across the globe on their multi-screen media usage, device ownership and purchase intentions, Internet access points, and how they see mobile technology’s role in the future.

Nielsen’s Global Survey of Multi-Screen Media Usage of more than 28,000 Internet respondents in 56 countries indicates that watching video content on computers has become just as popular as watching video content on television among online consumers, with over 80 percent reporting watching video content at home on a computer (84%) or on TV (83%) at least once a month. By contrast, in 2010, more online consumers reported watching video content on TV (90%) than on a computer (86%) in a month-long period.

While the in-home TV and computer are still the most popular devices to watch video content, usage and growth in online and mobile technologies is making a sustained impact. Three-quarters (74%) of global respondents report watching video via the Internet (on any device), up four points since 2010, and over half of global online consumers (56%) say they watch video on a mobile phone at least once a month and 28 percent at least once a day.

Online video consumption is likely to continue its rise, as consumers are increasingly connecting to the Internet at high speeds. More than half (57%) of online respondents around the world indicate they own a computer with high-speed online access—an increase of four points since 2010, and an additional 16 percent say they plan to purchase one within the next year.

While tablets are an emerging category with lower levels of penetration than smartphones, global consumers are exhibiting increased interest around these devices. According to the survey findings, 12 percent of online respondents worldwide own a tablet today—up over 70 percent from the seven percent who reported ownership in 2010.

This report is based primarily on a series of media usage questions included in Nielsen’s Global Survey, in August/September 2011. The survey polled more than 28,000 consumers with traditional online/Internet access from 56 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. While online survey methodology allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it is limited in that it provides a perspective only on the habits of existing Internet users, not total populations. Results may therefore, among other possibilities, over-report online usage via computers, under-report traditional television usage, and/or under-report mobile media usage. Additionally, responses are only indicative of respondents’ beliefs about their own media usage, rather than actual metered data.